


Remembrance

by HikariHellspawn



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-02-14 13:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13009257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HikariHellspawn/pseuds/HikariHellspawn
Summary: Four years since Astral was killed: That's how long it's been since Tsukumo Yuma left Heartland. Now a senior at Neo Domino's Duel Academy, he's been trying to forget that day. But when someone sends him his old Deck from Heartland, things heat up for him. Now he must take up his old Deck and relive the memories he wish he could bury. Now, he must duel for Astral...Very, very much so AU. Expect swearing, violence, elemental magic, and shenanigans.





	1. The Last Duel

**Chapter 1**

**The Last Duel**

 

“ _ **YUUUMAAAA!!!!!”**_

Yuma opened his eyes with a gasp. He’d fallen asleep—again. That last duel he’d had with Astral… it still haunted him. The guilt that he hadn’t been able to do anything was still gnawing at him, four years later.

Grunting, he pushed himself up off the ground, onto his elbows. For whatever reason he couldn’t fathom, he couldn’t forget that duel against III. It had been going so well…until III had used that weird power against him. It had made him forget his kattobingu—his heart. It had also rendered him unable to see or hear Astral, which III had used to capture the being and destroy him.

It had been Astral’s scream of agony that snapped Yuma out of it.

It was also the last time he dueled. Anyone. He locked up his deck, and came to Neo Domino City. What irked him most was that he couldn’t resist the siren call of the Duel, so he built a new deck and enrolled in Duel Academy. He told them that he had no family left.

It was a lie.

So, here he was, a senior at Duel Academy, fighting off memories from four years ago. Memories that he wished he could forget.

Memories that screamed at him the way Astral had before he died.

Suddenly, a paper bag replaced his view of the city. It was Zei Utaki, a friend of his at DA. He called him his friend because he couldn’t find a better word for it. He was solitary here, and rather than his happy-go-lucky self, he stayed distant from everyone. Zei and his other acquaintance, Tōya Kotetsu, only thought he considered them friends…and he kept it that way. “Hi, Zei.”

Zei took a seat next to him and plopped the paper bag down in his lap. Opening it, he found two ham and cheese sandwiches. He missed his grandmother’s rice balls (which he liked calling “duel meals” back then), but didn’t show anything. “So this is where you’ve been for the last two class periods,” Zei said, taking a bite out of a tuna sandwich. “Misaki-sensei was going neurotic in Biology.”

Yuma grunted. “I don’t like that class,” he said, nibbling at his own ham and cheese. “Not a fan of Dueling History either. Thus, I skip both.”

Zei let out a long-suffering sigh. “Dude, you have _got_ to stop skiving class.” He said. “If you do, you won’t have the credits to graduate.”

Yuma grunted. Honestly, he really didn’t care. But, if only to appease Zei and Tōya—and his teachers—he showed up to classes regularly. Or, semi-regularly at the very least. If it weren’t for the fact that something inside him still couldn’t resist Dueling, he wouldn’t be attending Duel Academy. There were just too many painful reminders of his past.

Of Astral. Of the Numbers….

Yuma cursed under his breath and took a swig of the milk Zei had brought. “So, what was Torinote’s reaction to my skipping DH again?”

Zei shrugged. “He was cool with it.” He screwed up his face and did an accurate imitation of their Dueling History teacher’s voice. “‘Eh…Tsukumo’s not here, but I won’t count him anyway because he’s hardly ever here. Can’t blame him, since the class is boring as hell. If I had my way, we’d actually be dueling in here…’ yeesh, I think he likes his class less than you do, and he’s the teacher!”

Yuma snorted in laughter. “And that’s when you know a class sucks; when the _teacher_ doesn’t even want to be there!” He said, waving his sandwich. He sighed and went back to his surly self. “I _really_ don’t want to be dueling today.”

“Cheer up, buddy.” Zei said. “At least you’re only dueling Tōya instead of the brute hall monitor. You and Big T know each other’s decks like the backs of your hands.”

“Yeah….” Yuma fidgeted with his sandwich. He was only half done with it, but he wasn’t all that hungry. The memory from his last duel was still too fresh. What didn’t help was his little nap on the roof had only let him relive it…and he hated it. He looked to Zei, wishing that he could honestly enjoy dueling as much as the surfer-jock did.

Zei Utaki was skinny, tanned, had bright amber eyes, and dark hair that flopped down into his eyes like a mop. If you were looking for Zei on a weekend, especially in the summer, your best bet was to look down by the beach. The kid spent nearly all his time on his surfboard. His deck was even water-based…another reminder of his days in Heartland.

Tōya Kotetsu on the other hand was all muscle, was taller, and had hair he bleached white. Their nickname for him was Big T because of his size. Tōya intimidated most people, but Yuma and Zei knew that despite how big he was, Big T was an oversized teddy bear at heart. Thankfully, his deck didn’t bring back any memories from his old life; it was a Chess deck. Fittingly enough, Tōya’s second love was chess…and taking things apart to see how they worked.

And today Yuma and Tōya were scheduled to duel each other. Fun. Yuma’s current deck was based around the old Dragunity archetype. He couldn’t stand to use Exceed monsters anymore. Like so much else, it reminded him of Heartland…and Astral and the Numbers and….

Yuma shook his head to clear it. Zei noticed the motion. “You all right, buddy?”

“Yeah; just flashbacks.” Yuma replied. “I’m fine…probably just nerves over the coming duel.” He quickly downed the last of his ham and cheese sandwiches and stood.

“You are one weird dude, Yuma.” Zei said, following Yuma as he strode to the door and back inside. “You’re a helluva duelist, yet you seem to not like it that much.” He frowned at him. “Is it something to do with how you lost your family?”

 _If only you knew…_ Yuma kept the thought to himself. “Sorta…it’s complicated.” He said, dodging the question. “Let’s just get that duel with Tōya over with. Who knows; maybe this time he’ll stop bugging me about using old cards.”

Zei laughed. “Suuuure he will. And I’ll hang up my surfboard and take up knitting.” He patted Yuma’s back. “This is Big T we’re talking about, buddy; we both know he’ll never stop ribbing you on that deck of yours.”

Yuma shrugged. “One can always hope, I guess….”

_**000** _

Whistling off-tune, Yuma set the bags on the counter. School had ended half an hour ago, and he took the time just after to get some necessities; groceries, toilet paper, new light bulbs as he’d realized the previous day he was out…anything a high school student living on his own would need. He’d refused to stay in the Duel Academy dorms, instead deciding to live in an apartment by himself. He worked at a nearby coffee shop on the weekends, and that coupled with a scholarship he’d gotten from the school and help from Zei’s family paid for rent, bills, school expenses, and other needs.

He was repacking the fridge as the doorbell rang. Once he’d convinced the veggies into the crisper drawer, he went to answer it. It was a deliveryman, and he was holding a small package. “Tsukumo Yuma?” He asked.

Yuma nodded. “Yeah…why?”

The deliveryman handed him the package and pulled a clipboard out from under his arm. “This package arrived for you…I was told you’d have to sign for it.” He said as Yuma took the package and clipboard.

“Any idea where it’s from?” Yuma asked as he signed his name. Okay, so his writing was still messy…somehow, he doubted that would ever change.

The deliveryman shrugged as he took the clipboard back. He handed Yuma a copy of the slip. “Nope; there’s no return address…. At least, there’s none that I can see. There might be one in the box.” He tapped his hat. “Have a nice day, then Mr. Tsukumo.”

Yuma raised his hand in a wave as the deliveryman left. He closed the door behind him, slipped the signed slip into a filing slot on his desk, and took a close look at the package. It wasn’t too big; enough to carry in one hand, and then some. If he didn’t know better, he’d think….

He snorted. “No way.” He dropped the package onto his desk, took a few steps back to the kitchen, then sighed and returned to it. “It’s probably just a prank that Zei and Tōya are…playing…”

He trailed off as he read the address. Just like the deliveryman had said, there wasn’t a return address, and Yuma couldn’t recognize the handwriting. Whoever sent it wasn’t someone he knew. _Ookaaay…maybe it’s not a prank._ He thought. _But if it’s not, then what is it…?_

Yuma, now curious, carefully opened the package, making sure not to tear the paper. He dropped it on the desk and started on the box. He used his pocketknife to cut the tape, and when he opened it his breath caught in his throat. Inside the cardboard box was something that brought all his buried memories rushing to the surface.

It was his old Deck.


	2. Old Friends and New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparks fly when two old friends join Yuma in Neo Domino City, and the question as to who sent Yuma his deck still lingers. Meanwhile, the first stirrings of a plan behind the veil begin....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I start the chapter, I'd like to thank Flautistcoming2read and a guest for giving this chapter kudos, as well as Flautistcoming2read for commenting. Yes, I do intend on posting the rest of the chapters from FFNet on here as well, and I have no intentions of leaving FFNet either. 
> 
> I'm planning on doing more frequent updates here until I'm caught up to where Remembrance is currently, then posting chapters both here and on FFNet at the same time.
> 
> Also, think of this as a New Year's gift to you all ^^.

**Chapter 2**

**Old Friends and New Beginnings**

 

Yuma yawned, sliding into his seat. He’d grabbed a coffee on his way to school; he’d been up all night pondering why someone would send him his old Deck. He’d finally drifted off to sleep sometime around two or three in the morning, and he was still groggy as his alarm had gone off at seven. “What’s up with everyone?” he mumbled sleepily as he slipped in beside Tōya.

“We’re getting a couple new students, apparently.” The burly faux-blonde said. “Rumor’s going around they’re from out of town. Think you might know them?”

Yuma shook his head, taking a gulp of his coffee. “I don’t have any family left, remember?” He replied.

“Just asking,” Tōya said, crossing his arms. “Well, we’ll be finding out who they are soon enough….” He nodded his head to the clock.

Glancing up to see the time, Yuma set his coffee aside so he wouldn’t bump it and rushed to get his books and pencil out. English was the first class of the day…and frankly, he sucked. It was of those classes he wished he could skip, if only it wasn’t for the fact that Tōya would track him down and make his life hell if he did skip it.

The teacher entered the room, and the students bowed and gave their usual greeting. Hayashi-sensei, their teacher, clapped his hands to get the noise level down as everyone took their seats again. “Right. I’m pretty sure you guys have been hearing about the new students joining us today,” he said. “I know, normally students start at semester, but these two were quite adamant about beginning as soon as possible.”

As Hayashi-sensei was speaking, the two students in question—a boy and a girl, both around Yuma’s age—entered the classroom. They hadn’t said their names, but Yuma recognized them both right away. He couldn’t believe his eyes…he was so riveted on the two figures (especially the girl) that he didn’t hear Tōya or Zei asking what was up.

“…both from Heartland.” Hayashi-sensei finished. He nodded to the two students.

The girl spoke first. Like the rest of the girls, she had on the red blazer and light blue skirt with her uniform, which was perfect. A pink, oval-shaped D-Pad was on her arm. Her amber eyes were still the same, and her hair had grown out and was now tied back in a long green ponytail, though she’d filled out since Yuma had last seen her…then again, four years _had_ passed. She gave the class a smile and casual salute. “I’m Mizuki Kotori, nice to meet you all!” She said brightly. Yuma’s heart skipped several beats as he heard her voice; it had matured with the rest of her.

The boy on the other hand was leaning up against the chalkboard and, unlike Kotori, hadn’t bothered to write his name on the board. Another familiar face…though Yuma couldn’t decide if he was friendly or not. Probably not, judging by the surly aura around him. He had the blue blazer and pants of the uniform, though he hadn’t bothered with the tie and the top two buttons on his shirt were undone and his backpack was slung over one shoulder. His purple hair hadn’t changed at all; it still looked like an octopus was on his head. “Kamishiro Ryoga,” he said simply, not opening his eyes. If he did, Yuma knew that they’d still be in the perpetual glare they always were. His D-Pad was the same, and the shark’s tooth pendant was still around his neck. Having said his name, Yuma heard whisperings from several of the girls.

“I don’t effing believe this,” Zei said. “The Asia champ is in _our_ class?!” His look of dumbstruck changed quickly to excitement. “Hey, Yuma! Got a pen I could borrow? Please?”

Yuma looked over at his friend. “I thought that IV guy was the Asia champ,” he said as Zei rushed to pull a blank paper out of his notebook.

Zei shook his head. “Where’ve you been for the past four years, Yuma?! Ryoga ‘Shark’ Kamishiro has been the Asia champ since the World Duel Carnival! He beat the snot out of IV back then!” He replied excitedly. Tōya handed the flipping-out Zei a pen with a sigh. “He’s held onto the title ever since; nobody can touch that guy in a Duel!”

“Er…I don’t follow dueling that close,” Yuma said, blinking at Zei’s enthusiasm. Hayashi-sensei had shown Kotori and Shark where they could sit until they got permanent spots. That route brought Kotori to the front row, where Yuma could see the back of her head. Shark kept on going; apparently his temporary seat was in back.

As he passed, Zei tried asking for an autograph, but it came out as a weird squawk. He wouldn’t have gotten it anyway; the glare Shark gave him was so full of venom Yuma was surprised the surfer was still breathing. What got Yuma was when Shark came to the row he was in.

The purple-haired duelist slowed only slightly, studying Yuma. He made brief contact with his one-time-rival’s sapphire eyes, then looked back to his desk. _It’s just a coincidence; you’re just imagining things._ He thought.

Once Shark had taken his seat at the back of the class, Tōya was nudging Yuma in the arm. Yuma looked up. “Hm?”

Tōya pointed at Yuma’s desk. There was a perfectly folded note lying on top of his English book. Yuma picked it up and read it:

_Meet me on the roof after class. You’ve got a_ LOT _of explaining to do, Tsukumo._

_-Shark_

Zei groaned. “Seriously? Why didn’t you _tell me_ that you knew him?!” He asked in a whisper, clearly jealous.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Yuma said, turning his book to the right page. When he saw Zei’s glare, he added, “Seriously, drop it, Zei. I _really_ don’t want to talk about it.”

Zei shrugged. It was a simple expression, but it told Yuma volumes. Summed up, it translated as _you’re soooo explaining later._

Yuma sighed as class began. He tried to focus, but the fact that his closest friend and biggest rival were _in the room with him_ made it rather hard to concentrate.

_**000** _

When Yuma made his way up to the roof for break, he saw that Shark and Kotori were already there. Kotori was looking out over the city, with her back to him. Shark on the other hand was standing with his arms crossed, the glare fixed on his face. “What the hell is wrong with you, Tsukumo?” He demanded once Yuma closed the door.

“Hi to you too,” Yuma said, striding up to face Shark. It looked like Yuma wasn’t the only one to have changed in the past four years; Shark had as well. He was still skinny, but now he planes of his face were harder, not as boyish as they used to be. He also had a couple inches of height on Yuma now.

Shark tapped a finger against his arm. “What the hell happened to make you leave Heartland?” He asked. “Do you want to know what happened when you left your Numbers behind?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Yuma said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “But you’re going to tell me anyway.”

“Damn right; Kaito was about to break into your place when he’d gotten word you’d gone AWOL.” Shark said. “You left everything behind, Tsukumo; the Numbers, that key of yours, even your Deck. What makes it worse is that you didn’t tell anyone.”

Yuma fixed Shark with a glare of his own. “Maybe because I didn’t want anyone to know where I went.” He said, a hint of menace coloring his tone. “And I sure as hell didn’t want to bring anything with that reminded me of Heartland. I was getting on perfectly fine here, and now you guys have shown up. Thanks for ruining everything, Shark.”

Shark scoffed. “Something’s been shoved up your ass, all right.” He said. “And I thought _I_ was supposed to be the one with attitude problems. Yeesh, Tsukumo; what cactus did you land on this morning?”

“I didn’t land on anything,” Yuma replied, keeping his voice as even as possible. “I’ve already told you; I didn’t tell anyone where I went because I didn’t _want_ anyone to know where I was.” He took a deep breath. “I want no more connections to Heartland or the Numbers, plain and simple. And I sure as hell don’t need any reminders about Astral—”

“Ah hah,” Shark said, slowly. He uncrossed his arms and took a step closer to Yuma, so they were almost nose-to-nose. “ _That’s_ what this is about, then; what happened to Astral.” He said. “So instead of facing the truth, you ran away. If _that’s_ your ‘kattobingu’, then I’m sorry I considered you a duelist at all. If running away is what you do, then you’re more of a coward than anything.”

“Shut up, Shark.” Yuma growled. “I’m not a coward.”

“Guys, stop it.” Kotori said. She’d turned around while he and Shark were trading barbs, and she was now glaring at the both of them. “Preferably _before_ you two start swapping fists.”

Neither boy was listening. “Not a coward? Then what do you call running for the hills when Astral was killed?” Shark asked, his face set and his eyes icy. “Or better yet; if you’re not a coward, why’d you leave the Numbers behind? I thought that even without Astral you would’ve kept on collecting them.” He snorted. “You were probably too afraid you’d lose now that _he_ was gone….”

Yuma didn’t reply…well, not verbally. He let out with a yell of rage and plowed his fist into the side of Shark’s face. _“No!_ You two idiots!” Kotori shouted, but before she could intervene Yuma was about to nail Shark with another punch.

Shark blocked the punch and returned one of his own, hitting squarely on Yuma’s nose, breaking it. As Yuma was trying to recover himself, Shark got him with another punch to the side of his face, then grabbed him by the collar and shoved him up against a wall. “I’ve got half a mind to bash your head in right now, Tsukumo.” He said through gritted teeth. “Don’t go taking out _your_ failings on me or Kotori. The both of us came here to track down _you,_ idiot.”

Yuma blinked. “Bwuh?”

“He’s right, Yuma.” Kotori said, coming up to them. “Shark, let him down; I think the broken nose did enough damage.”

Shark grunted but let Yuma down. “Not as much as I’d like to do to his head,” he growled.

Yuma started to say something, but Kotori shut him up with a look. “Don’t start again, you two.” She said. She shook her head and sighed. “I swear, I’m never going to understand why guys are such idiots.”

“Seeing as I’ll never understand why you insisted on coming…” Shark mumbled, which earned him a whack upside the head from Kotori. “Ouch!”

“You’re as bad as Yuma, I swear.” She sighed. She strode up to Yuma, pushing Shark out of the way. “You didn’t really leave because of Astral…did you?”

Yuma shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to lash out at her, but he couldn’t. “I…I couldn’t stand dueling after that.” He replied. “It wasn’t that I was afraid I’d lose, it was more like…” he shook his head. “Nevermind. But, Kotori, you’re a Duelist now?”

Kotori nodded. Shark snorted. “Right…I’m gonna beat it before you two get mushy and I puke. See ya,” he left them alone on the roof, and Yuma stuck his tongue out at him as a sendoff.

“Before you ask, no, I’m not going out with him.” Kotori replied. “To be honest, Tetsuo wanted to come too…but since his grades were getting hectic—and they still need a duelist back home, since there’s still Numbers loose—he had to stay behind. But, as to your question, I started dueling seriously after you ran away.” She pulled something on a pendant out from under her shirt. “Shark took up searching for the Numbers then; it turns out that once someone has been possessed by one of them, it doesn’t happen again. Well, not easily at least. I convinced him to let me have this on the way here.”

Kotori handed it to him. Yuma didn’t have to open his hand to know what it was; the last memento his father had given him, back when he was a kid.

“The Emperor’s Key?” He asked. “This means that you sent me my old Deck…right?”

Kotori frowned. “Someone sent you your Deck?”

Now it was Yuma’s turn to be confused. “You didn’t know?”

She shook her head. “No. Why’d someone send you your Deck, anyway?” She asked. “None of us did; we didn’t know where you were living. You didn’t even leave a note for your grandma and sister, idiot.”

Yuma winced at her words. If his friends hadn’t send him his Deck, then who had? He shook off the question. “Anyway, what kind of Deck do you have now?”

Kotori laughed and gave him a wink. “If I told you then it wouldn’t be any fun.” She said. Yuma opened his mouth to protest, but Kotori silenced him with a hand. “Don’t. I know full well that you won’t tell me what Deck you’re using these days, so I won’t tell you mine either. By the way…” She opened her deck box and searched in it. “Oh, c’mon, I know I had it here somewhere….”

“What’re you blabbering about?” Yuma asked.

Kotori waved her hand at him to shut up. “Just a sec…Oh no…. That’s _way_ not good.”

“What’s not good?” Yuma asked.

Kotori shook her head. “Nevermind; it was nothing.” She replied as the bell rang. “See you in class!”

Yuma blinked, seeing her go. _Same old Kotori,_ he thought, shaking his head. He looked down to see the second surprise in as many days.

Kotori had given him his Emperor’s Key.

Yuma’s heart raced. She’d kept the Key all this time. Was she waiting for him to come back to Heartland, or looking for a chance to get to him? Either way, holding the Key in his hand, he knew that something was going to happen. He closed his fist around the pendant and closed his eyes.

“Astral….”

_**000** _

“He has _**WHAT!?!**_ ”

Damien winced. His master was in a sour mood today. “He’s got the Emperor’s Key, Master.” He said, taking a step back.

“Do not retreat from me!” his master said, closing the distance between them. He gripped Damien’s shirt with one hand and slammed him against the wall. “You were supposed to prevent him from retrieving the Key! It is our way into the Astral World, now that that entity is gone!” He sent an electric shock through Damien’s body. “Four years, all down the drain. And it’s because of you fool!”

He turned away, letting Damien drop to the ground. “Master, I am sincerely sorry.” He said. He gulped, not wanting to be the bearer of even _more_ bad news, but he had no choice. “I have more to report, Master.”

His master turned. “What now? Is it another failure?”

“No,” Damien knew it wasn’t a success…but it wasn’t a failure either. More like a statement of fact. “The boy has been joined by a Numbers Hunter.”

“Tenjou Kaito?” His master asked.

Damien shook his head. “No, Master. Kamishiro Ryoga.”

His master pondered this question for several long seconds. “Interesting…you may leave, Damien.” He said. Damien nodded and ran for the doors, grateful to be out of his master’s presence.

The figure Damien had been talking to turned to face his throne, deep in thought. “Kamishiro Ryoga, a Numbers Hunter.” He murmured. “He should be easy enough to get out of the picture, especially since he wasn’t chosen by Astral as a Numbers Hunter….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To quote one of my favorite fanfic authors, reviews desired but not required. 
> 
> And have a Happy New Year everyone! Here's to 2018 NOT being as much of a trashfire as 2017 has turned out to be ^^;.


	3. Phone Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Yeah. I suck at consistent updating, whups. I blame moving, it's a nightmare. Anyway, here's a chapter for ya. Enjoy.

 

**“I** attack you directly with Wind Priestess! _Steel air blades!_ ”

“Augh! I got beat by a _girl_!” Zei groaned, kneeling.

Kotori sighed and pulled off her D-Gazer. “And that’s why I told you _not_ to go easy on me.” She said.

Yuma gulped. _Note to self; I_ never _want to duel Kotori._ He thought. It’d been two weeks since Kotori and Shark had shown up at Duel Academy in Neo Domino, and already Kotori had a win list lining up. It made Yuma whistle the first time he’d seen her duel, but it was nothing compared to Shark.

Okay, so Shark hadn’t done any dueling yet…but Yuma was still waiting to see how much he’d improved. He was also curious to see if he still had Numbers 32: Shark Drake.

There was even some buried part of him that was _looking forward_ to it.

Yuma shook his head, grumbling a curse under his breath. _It’ll bring back memories to see him dueling again,_ he thought. _Hell, you should be_ dreading _when you see Shark and his deck in action again. And, inevitably_ you’ll _be the one dueling him, so quit._ He picked up his book bag and got ready to head off to fifth period…algebra.

After school, Zei was still complaining.

“I got beat. By a _girl._ She was even using the wussiest Attribute Deck; Wind! Wind, I tell you!”

“Zei, shut up.” Tōya groaned. “We get the message; you got beat by the new girl. Get. Off. It.”

Zei pouted. “But—”

“Listen to Tōya, Zei. Give it up.” Yuma said, slipping on his outdoor shoes. “And here’s a newsflash; most of the time, girls are better duelists than guys.”

Zei blinked at him. “How d’you know that.”

Yuma winced. “Uh, personal experience.” _At the hands of my sister,_ he added in his head.

“Ooookaaaay, then.” Tōya said. “On that note, who wants to stop for dangos on the way home?”

“I’m in!” Zei said enthusiastically. “You up for some, Yuma?”

Yuma shook his head. “Homework,” he said. “And…I want to call someone.”

Tōya cocked his head. “Who?” He asked.

“I’ll tell ya later. Bye!” And with that, he ran out the door before either boy could ask him again.

As he disappeared down the street—at a full-tilt run, no less—Zei turned to Tōya. “Is it just me, or has Yuma been acting weird the last two weeks?”

Tōya shook his head. “Nope. For once, buddy, it isn’t your imagination.”

* * *

 

**A** kari Tsukumo woke with a start as the phone rang. “I got it!” She shouted as she passed the kitchen, where her grandmother Haru was loading the dishwasher. “Hello, Tsukumo residence; Akari speaking.”

Silence on the other end, then; “Um…hi, Sis?”

It took a moment for Akari to register the voice. Then, in a shout heard even on the street outside:

“ _ **WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, YUMA TSUKUMO!!?!!”**_

Yuma, on the other end of the phone, whimpered. “Yeow…good to see you’re doing well, too.” He said. It sounded like he’d pulled the phone away from his ear.

Akari growled. “I hope you have a real good explanation for this, Yuma.” She said. “Running off four years ago, not even taking your deck with you…tell me, did you _at least_ gain an IQ from that stunt?”

“Eeek…okay, you’re mad. Understandable—”

“Oh, more than just ‘understandable’, runt. The next time I see you, I’m gonna wring your skinny neck.”

“Point taken, point taken! You’re ready to kill me right now!”

“Good for you; you’ve got a firm grasp on the obvious.” Akari said as her grandmother poked her head into the living room.

“Akari, who is it?”

Akari turned from the phone. “It’s Yuma.” She replied. “Amazingly.”

“Yuma’s stupid. Yuma sucks.” Obime the O-Bot said as she rolled past with the garbage from the bathroom.

“And hi to Obime too…” Yuma grumbled. “I’m still on the phone!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Akari said, putting the phone on speaker. “Okay, why’d you call? I know it’s not just to say ‘hello, I’ve been great in Neo Domino.’”

“Yeah…uh, something weird came in the mail about a couple weeks ago.” Yuma replied hesitantly.

Haru eyed Akari over her glasses. “You didn’t send him that skunk you were threatening, did you?”

“No, but I wish I had.” Akari said at the same moment Yuma made a squeak of horror.

“Er…no, it wasn’t an angry skunk,” Yuma replied. “It was my deck. Did any of you guys send it…?”

Akari blinked. “No, wasn’t me. I haven’t been in your room since you ran off.” Haru shook her head. “Neither has grandma, and Obime doesn’t do well on ladders.”

“Yuma still sucks.” Obime said, this time wheeling to the kitchen with a wipe rag for the counters.

“Weird….” Yuma said. Then he cleared his throat. “I was just wondering if anyone there had, because Kotori and Shark showed up the next day.”

“I didn’t think they’d go _through_ with that plan of theirs,” Haru said.

A pause. “Wait…you _knew_ about it, Grandma?!” Yuma blurted out.

“Knew about it, yes. I didn’t know that they’d really switch to the Duel Academy in Neo Domino city.” Haru replied. “Oh dear…this is not good at all.”

Akari looked at her grandmother. “Why’s that?” She asked.

“How did you guys find out about them coming over?” Yuma asked at the same time.

“Our house has become a meeting place between your friends here and Akari-chan,” Haru explained. “It was at several of those meetings that your friends—yes, Kamishiro-kun included—started coming up with that harebrained idea. Apparently they decided to go through with it.”

“Hey, at least now we know everyone’s in the same place.” Akari said. “But…Yuma, who’d send you your deck? I didn’t, Grandma didn’t, I’m pretty sure Kotori and Ryoga haven’t….”

“I asked, and they said no.” Yuma said. “So I figured you guys had. Guess not…”

Akari was silent for several minutes. “So…if nobody here did, then who?”

The silence on the other end was enough of an answer for Akari.

* * *

“Right. Yeah, I’ll be fine—you don’t need to send my any care packages. Really, Grandma. My grades are _fine._ I’m actually passing…no, aliens haven’t transplanted my brain with Einstein’s.” Yuma said at the end of the phone call. “Right. I’ll call you and Akari if things get weird…er, okay, weirder than normal. Okay, bye.”

He sighed as he hung up the phone. The call had been harder to make than he thought. The entire time he’d just wanted to hang up but couldn’t. He’d told them pretty much everything that had happened since his deck showed up, including Kotori giving him the Emperor’s Key. _That_ had prompted Akari to hand the phone to their grandmother and run upstairs to his room to make sure that his Deck and Key were really gone.

Yuma picked up the Key and held it in his hand, feeling the familiar weight. _Astral…you’re gone, so why’s the Key still here?_ He thought. He clenched his fist around the Key and headed to his bedroom to get to sleep. He’d changed into his PJs when he made the call, and he was glad he had.

He crawled into bed and placed the Key on his bedside table. It was cold, not pulsing with soft warmth like when Astral had inhabited it. He stared at it, shining in the moonlight, for a minute or two before rolling over. _Get over it. He’s gone._

And yet, as he closed his eyes, he thought he heard Astral’s voice whisper one word.

_Yuma…._

* * *

“You _gotta_ be kidding me!”

“Nuh-uh….”

“I’m seeing things. I’m seeing things…either that, or I’m dreaming.”

Yuma poked Zei in the head. “Hey, surf zombie. You in there?”

Zei looked like he was in a trance, staring at the bulletin board. Yuma just sighed in exasperation and looked to Tōya. “What’s got him in shock now?”

Tōya looked awkward. “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.” He said. The bell rung. “You’ll find out anyway. C’mon; practical duel first thing in the morning. My guess is that Shark’s finally dueling today.”

Yuma snorted. _It’d be about time, too._

“Calm down, calm down!” Shisui-sensei said as the class entered the hall. The practical dueling hall was essentially a dueling arena surrounded by seats, like a cross between a lecture hall and dueling coliseum. There was even a referee desk to one side of the field. Shisui-sensei, the teacher in charge of coordinating practical dueling lessons was currently standing in the middle of the arena. “Clearly, many of you have seen the bulletin board outside and know the matchup. For those of you who haven’t…well, you’ll find out soon enough.” He motioned at Yuma to come down. “Mr. Tsukumo, if you please….”

Yuma put his D-Pad on his arm and walked down to the arena. “You’re going to be dueling today, Mr. Tsukumo…” Shisui-sensei beckoned another one of the students down. Yuma didn’t see who it was at first, but by the time he was stationed at the other end of the dueling field….

“…And it’s going to be you against Mr. Kamishiro. Begin!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully gonna try not to forget this exists--with any luck, once everything's at the new place things'll calm down so I can write rather than pass out on the spot once I sit down. In the meantime, enjoy reading. And, if you liked it enough, leave a review. Or not, you do you.


	4. Numbers Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get to see two assholes at once. And no, one of them isn't Shark this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this chapter has (part of) a duel in it, I was seriously debating on whether or not I should have a section in the Notes--or in the chapter itself--about cards that the characters used during said duel. It's something I got into the habit of doing with the chapters I post up on FFNet, and I've really no idea if it's a thing I should do here too? 
> 
> Either way, I've left it out of this chapter. If y'all would like to see the card list in future chapters, though, let me know.

**Chapter 4**

**Numbers Hunter**

**“I** attack your Dragunity Dux with my Shocktopus!”

Yuma repressed a swearword. “Activate trap: Relieve Monster! I return my Dux to my hand to summon another monster in his place!”

Shark snorted derisively. “I counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit.” He said. “Your Dux goes to the Graveyard.”

**Yuma LP: 1200**

**Shark LP: 3000**

“I set a face-down and end my turn.” Shark looked to Yuma across the field. “You’re losing your touch, Yuma.” He said.

Yuma didn’t reply, only drew. The duel was only four turns in, and already Shark had depleted his Life Points to a mere 1200. Until now, Shark hadn’t lost any LP; Yuma hadn’t been able to touch him. Currently Shark had Shocktopus and Jawsman on his field, and two facedowns, whereas Yuma had nothing.

“I summon Dragunity Pilum, and I’ll use his effect to summon Dragunity Militum in attack mode!” Yuma said. “And next I’ll use Militum’s effect to Special Summon Pilum back from my Spell and Trap zone.”

Shark merely raised an eyebrow. _He probably sees this coming,_ Yuma thought, but continued anyway.

“I tune my Dragunity Militum to my Dragunity Pilum! Descend, Dragunity Knight Trident!” He pointed to Shark’s Shocktopus. “Trident, attack his Shocktopus!”

Shark didn’t do anything to prevent his monster’s destruction. Instead, he activated a trap he’d set. “I activate the effect of Life Shield. For every card I discard from my hand, up to 1000 points of attack damage is negated.” He sent one of his cards to his graveyard, and his Life Points remained untouched as a result. “You also activated Shocktopus’s effect. He now equips himself to your monster.”

Yuma grimaced, remembering the effect. “And my Trident loses his Attack Points and is stuck in position.”

“Good to see your memory hasn’t completely left you,” Shark said. “Are you done?”

Yuma nodded sullenly.

“Good. Then I draw. Looks like the Duel’s over, Yuma.” Shark said. “I attack your Dragunity Knight with Jawsman.”

**Yuma: 0**

**Shark: 3000**

**-WINNER: KAMISHIRO RYOGA-**

The AR field dissolved as Yuma removed his D-Gazer. He took his deck from his D-Pad and returned it to the case at his waist without saying a word.

Shark strode up to him and crossed his arms. “You know, after four years, I would’ve expected you to have _improved._ ” He said. “Guess I got disappointed.”

“Shut up, Ryoga.” Yuma said, not using his rival’s nickname for once.

Shark ignored the comment. “Your new deck doesn’t suit you.”

Yuma paused at the comment. “What?”

“I said, your new deck doesn’t suit you.” Shark repeated. “You should’ve been using your old one. The one your father gave you…the one you and Astral dueled with.”

Yuma glared at the violet-haired boy. “I already told you why I don’t.” He said. “I don’t duel. Not with that deck. Not anymore.”

“And I think it’s a stupid reason.” Shark replied. He turned his back to Yuma. “See you next class.”

Yuma returned to his place between Tōya and Zei. “What was _that_ about?” Zei asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Yuma mumbled. Zei pressed on, but Yuma still refused to answer, so much so that he was silent for the entire following class.

Once school was out, Kotori tracked him down. “Yuma! Get back here, you idiot!”

Tōya shot him a glance and gave him a joking smirk. Yuma rolled his eyes and elbowed past him to Kotori—who looked a bit ticked off. The only thought on Yuma’s mind was _Oh god, what’ve I done_ now _?_

“Uh, whatever I did, I’m sorry?” He asked tentatively.

The reply he got was a hard, solid slap across his face.

“Ouch! What was _that_ for?!”

“For being an idiot!” Kotori snapped.

“Wha—how the hell was I being an idiot?” Yuma shot back. “Is this still about me leaving Heartland?!”

“Yes…but it’s not the reason I’m mad.” Kotori replied. “You threw that duel against Shark. I saw it! You two _should_ have been evenly matched! But no, Shark didn’t just beat you; he _clobbered_ you!” _SMACK._ Another slap.

“Yeowch! Will you cut that out?! I didn’t throw the duel!” Yuma protested. “I just, I….” he trailed off, not knowing a good way to counter her argument. In truth, most of it was valid, but still….

“Not from what I saw.” Kotori snapped. “And, like it as not, I’m on Shark’s side; you _should_ be using your father’s—no, _your_ —deck, Yuma. You know it better, and…it knows _you_. Not those Dragunities you’ve got now.”

Yuma’s expression turned sad. “You know I can’t do that, Kotori.”

Kotori studied him for several long moments, and then started past him in a huff. “Fine, then.” She said. “Have it your way. Stubborn ass.”

Yuma stared after her, rubbing his sore cheek. _She_ has _gotten pretty,_ he thought. He shook his head, bonking himself. “Gah, quit thinking like that! She’s not—” he caught himself, almost saying the last two words; _your girlfriend._

_Could’ve fooled me, considering how sweet you were on her back then._

_I was_ _ **not**_ _sweet on her! Oh, geez, I’m going insane; I’m having a conversation with voices in my head. Not good._ He shook off the weird conversation before rejoining Zei and Tōya.

“So…she your ex-girlfriend or something?” Zei asked, grinning.

“No. She’s never _been_ my girlfriend.” Yuma made the denial for the second time in as many minutes. “Pissed as hell at me, though.”

“Naw, ya think?” Tōya asked. “You two had everyone staring at you guys, you were yelling so loud. What’s this about your old deck? Running away from Heartland?”

“Yeah…and during the duel this morning, Shark said something about your deck not suiting you.” Zei added. “He said that you should be using your old deck too. And something about a guy called Astral….”

“Shut up. I don’t want to talk about it, and there’s no way in the pits of hell that you’ll get me to spill.” Yuma said sharply. Maybe a little too sharply, seeing the looks on their faces.

“Fine, have it your way.” Tōya grumbled. “Just remember, you’re gonna have to explain eventually. It’s pretty clear that you know Mizuki and Shark.”

Yuma didn’t reply, only grunted assent. _Yeah, I know them…but I wish they hadn’t showed up here._ He shoved his hand in his pocket and clenched his fist around the Key. For a moment, it got hot. Really hot. He yanked his hand out with a hiss, the Key still in his fist.

“Yuma? What’s wrong?”

Yuma didn’t answer automatically, just gingerly opened his fist. The skin on his palm and fingers was reddened from the burst of heat. Now it was more of a mild pulsing. Not like a heartbeat, like when Astral inhabited it, but more like a radar beacon. It took Yuma a moment to register that it could be reacting to one thing.

“Numbers…” he clenched his fist again and ran off, Zei and Tōya trailing behind him.

“Damn it, Yuma! Can’t you explain?!” Zei protested as Yuma led them down a side street, then off to another, the pulsing getting more frequent all the time. As he headed down another street, he didn’t even register a purple-haired student coming the opposite way—

“AUGH! Watch it, Tsukumo!” Shark griped as he picked himself up off the ground. He and Yuma had collided, causing Zei and Tōya to try and put on the breaks in time…and failing. Shark was presently rubbing the spot on his forehead where he and Yuma had knocked skulls. There was a similar sore spot on Yuma’s forehead as well. “What’s got your ass?”

“Nuh…nuh…” Yuma groaned, panting and massaging his own sore spot.

Shark got the message. “Numbers.” He said. He fished in his Extra Deck case and pulled out a familiar card: Shark Drake. It was glowing softly, a silver-white light from the image. “Let me guess; you’ve got the Key on you?”

Yuma nodded. “Burned my hand…I didn’t know it could pick up Numbers cards without Astral.”

Shark was about to say something when Zei interrupted. “Whoa, whoa, _whoa!_ Explanations, please! What’s a Numbers card? Who’s Astral? What’s with the freaky key you two’re talking about? How come you two know each other? _Why didn’t you tell me you knew Ryoga “Shark” Kamishiro?!_ And does anyone have any Cheetoes?”

“Zei, down.” Tōya said, pulling Zei out from between the two boys. “Though, he’s got a point; it would be _really_ helpful if you two explained what the hell’s going on.”

Shark shot Yuma an accusing look. “All right, all right; I’ll give you guys the short version. You’re going to think I’m crazy, though.” He said in defeat.

“Dude, we knew you were crazy the day we met.” Tōya said. “Need I mention the skateboard on the stairs?”

“No, and I really don’t want to be reminded of _that_ right now.” Yuma sighed. “All right, short version: there’s ninety-nine cards called Numbers Cards. If someone gets hold of them—well, excluding me, Shark, and another person—they get possessed, and essentially…uh, sorta turn into a demented version of themselves. Then again, Shark’s pretty demented to begin with….”

“On topic, Tsukumo, or I just might send you flying.”

“All right, already. The only reason _I’m_ not possessed by them is because of a guy called Astral who’s from another world, and has no memories. According to him, the Numbers Cards are bits of his memory.” Yuma finished. “We good now?”

Zei and Tōya were just staring at Yuma. “And…I’m assuming that whole Heartland business has something in it, too.” Tōya said.

“I’m from Heartland, yeah.” Yuma said. He pointed to Shark. “It’s also why I know Shark and Kotori.”

“Great, so we all know what’s going on now.” Zei said. “Just one question now; is there _anything_ about you, Yuma, that _is_ true?”

“Yeah.” Yuma replied. “I hate math and my English sucks.”

Shark whacked him over the head. “And, as I’m hoping you two already noticed, he’s an idiot.”

“I am not!”

Shark snorted. “Riiiight. We’ll get back to that. Right now, we’ve got a bit of a Numbers crisis.” And with that statement, he grabbed Yuma by the arm and dragged him off to another side street, Zei and Tōya trailing behind.

“Aw, man…all this running is getting annoying!” Zei complained.

“Says the surfer,” Tōya sighed.

“So…what all happened after I left, anyway?” Yuma asked. “I’m assuming since you won the WDC, that means that you beat Tron, too.”

Shark nodded. “And you’ll be not so happy to know that Faker’s still on the loose.” He said. “Last I knew, Kaito was still working for him…reluctantly.”

Yuma was about to ask what that meant before the Key seared again. “Ow! I think we’re close.”

“What gave you that—” Shark started to ask the sarcastic question when a shriek rent the air. He motioned to Yuma to put his D-Gazer on as he activated his own eyepiece.

Yuma followed suit, and he gasped when he saw what was making the shriek. “That’s…Galaxy Eyes.” He said.

Shark only nodded. “C’mon. It’s close.” And he continued on track, this time not pulling Yuma along. He didn’t need to; Yuma followed anyway.

Sure enough, two blocks away, a familiar figure in a white trench coat was dueling a man with a mad fire in his eyes. Key word here being _was_ : as the two reached the duel, Galaxy Eyes dissolved into shards of light, causing Kaito’s Life Points to drop to zero.

The AR link dissolved as Kaito’s coat returned to its normal dark gray. He was breathing hard, and there was a deep cut on the back of his hand. Yuma was about to say something when Kaito keeled over forward.

“Kaito!” Yuma called, running to Kaito’s side. “Hey, wake up! Kaito!”

“We need to get him out of here.” Shark said, nodding to the man. Yuma looked up, and the man who had been dueling Kaito was striding towards them.

Yuma stood. “Who are you and what happened to Kaito?” He asked.

“Oh. You know Faker’s brat.” The man said. He had jet-black hair that fell loose around his shoulders, slightly tanned skin, and acid green eyes. He was wearing what looked like a business suit, with a clip on the tie that looked familiar. “He just passed out. My guess is that he overexerted himself. I’m just here to take his Numbers…and his powers.”

“Not happening.” Shark said, stepping up. He had his deck in its slot already. “Duel me. If I win, you go.”

The man looked to him with a bored expression. “No.” he said simply. “There’s someone else here I want to duel.” He turned to Yuma as he pulled a card out of his Extra Deck case. “This look familiar, kid?”

Yuma’s breath caught in his throat. “Kibou Ou Hope…” He whispered.

“That’s right; it was _his_ card, wasn’t it?” The man asked.

“Yuma, take Kaito and go.” Shark said. From the look on his face, he meant business.

Yuma shook his head. “No. I’m going to duel him.” He said, inserting his own deck into his D-Pad.

Shark shook his head. “Not from that performance this morning,” He grumbled, but stepped back. This was when Zei and Tōya decided to show up.

“What the—?”

“Great; more idiots.” Shark groaned. “You’d better know what you’re doing, Yuma.”

_So do I,_ Yuma thought, activating his D-Pad. _So do_ _I…._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, that's that. I swear, as slowly as it moves the plot really is there...it just takes a while to really snowball and start rolling. But it's coming together, I hope.
> 
> Anyway, like I said above; if you guys would rather I have the list of cards used in the duels listed after the chapter, pop me a review or something to let me know. Or just let me know you liked it and kind of would like to see more of me tearing Zexal canon to pieces ^^~.
> 
> To quote Spoony; reviews desired but not required. They feel really nice to read though ^^


	5. Psi-Tronic Destruction!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we finally get to see a full duel--and the beginnings of a plot? Maybe??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the kudos and reads from the last chapter ^^. I'm sorry these keep taking forever to get up, I reeeeally need to stop procrastinating. Being tired af after work doesn't exactly help either.
> 
> I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal, or anything else in the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. I'm simply playing around in that universe to stir up trouble and cause Drama (tm).

**** **Chapter 5**

**Psi-Tronic Destruction!**

“ _Alternate Reality Vision link established.”_

**Yuma Tsukumo LP: 4000**

**??? LP: 4000**

****“I go first,” the man in the suit said, drawing his sixth card. “I summon Psi-Tronic Shaman in defense mode, and set two face-down cards. I end.”

Yuma drew, staring at the monster. _Psi-Tronic? Never heard of that archetype before._ He thought. And, indeed, the monster was weird. It had a vaguely humanoid shape, with two sets of arms, both crossed over its chest, metal legs crossed in a sitting position, and its face looked like it was a cyborg. There were even implants in its chest visible under the white and blue robes, cinched at the waist. On the forehead of the odd-looking monster was a vertical eye, which was closed at present. _I’m not sure if I want to know what that thing can do…._ “I’ll summon Dragunity Aklys in Attack Mode! And, thanks to his effect, I can Special Summon a Dragunity card from my hand and equip him to it. Come on out, Dragunity Angusticlavii!”

The monster—a young man with a bow and arrows, eagle headdress, blue-and-white tunic, gold belt, dark blue leggings, furred boots and gauntlets, and wings—materialized on the field. Aklys, the small silver-armored dragon, attached itself to Angusticlavii’s bow arm, looking like a silver bladed gauntlet. The man in the suit raised an eyebrow. “Dragunities, then. It’s been a rather long time since they’ve been used in a Deck, hasn’t it?”

“You haven’t seen the half of it! Angusticlavii, attack his Psi-Tronic Shaman!”

Yuma’s monster knocked an arrow, readying to let it fly, when the man in the suit grinned. “I thought you might. “I activate my Shaman’s effect; when you attack him in defense position, I can summon a Decoy Token for your monster to attack in his place. My Shaman is safe, as are my Life Points.”

“I don’t think so,” Yuma said as the ghostlike ball appeared on suit guy’s field. “As long as Angusticlavii is equipped with a Dragunity monster, he does piercing damage. Even if your monster is safe, your Life Points drop.”

“I think not,” the man in the suit said. Angusticlavii let the arrow fly, shooting through the gossamer ball and destroying it. “I activate my trap; Damage Eater. As long as I discard the top two cards from my deck, all damage to my Life Points is negated. So sorry.”

Yuma gritted his teeth. “I set a face-down and end.”

“Back to me, then.” Suit guy said. “I draw. I think I’ll set one card face-down and summon my Psi-Tronic Knight in attack position!” Another strange cyborg monster appeared on his field, this one wearing clear glass armor over a silver jumpsuit. The armor appeared to glow faintly along the edges, and looked like something out of medieval times. Like its companion, it had a single vertical eye on its forehead.

“And, now that my Knight’s on the field, I can Special Summon Psi-Tronic Shield in defense mode!” another monster appeared, this one being a shield shaped like a vertical eye. What made it even more unsettling was the fact that there was a vertical eye in the center of it. Unlike the Knight and Shaman, this eye was open. “Whenever I summon Psi-Tronic Knight to the field, Psi-Tronic Shield is immediately summoned and equipped to my Knight, increasing his attack by 500!”

It didn’t take long for the Knight to take up his new shield, causing the armor to glow brighter, now acid green. “And I think I’ll attack your Angusticlavii with my Knight. Go!”

“I activate my trap; Windstorm of Etaqua!” Yuma said, the card flipping up on his field. “All battle positions of your monsters switch!”

“Oh no! I’m trapped!” the man said, then grinned. “Sorry, I can’t let that happen. I activate _my_ trap, Psychic Shock. Not only does it negate your Trap, but it also prevents you from activating any more without a 200-Life-Point penalty.”

Yuma shielded his face as his trap was destroyed, leaving his Angusticlavii wide open. Both him and the little dragon attached to his arm let out screams as they were destroyed by Psi-Tronic Knight’s sword.

**Yuma LP: 3600**

“And then there’s the nice little effect of my Knight. When I discard one card from my hand, I can inflict 500 points of damage to your Life Points,” the mystery man said, discarding the required card. The Knight threw his sword like a spear, and it passed right threw Yuma’s chest.

**Yuma LP: 3100**

Yuma fell to one knee, gasping. _I really,_ really _hate augmented reality right now,_ he thought. There wasn’t a wound, but the pain was real enough to make his body _think_ there was one. He gathered himself, then rose to his feet. “By destroying Angusticlavii, you activated Aklys’s effect.”

The mystery man in the suit frowned. “What?”

Yuma smirked. “That’s right. Since Aklys was equipped to Angusticlavii when he was destroyed, his effect activates. Since he was sent to the Graveyard as an equipped monster, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field. I chose your Psi-Tronic Knight!”

A ghostly version of Dragunity Aklys appeared on the mystery man’s side of the field, took aim, then flew straight into Psi-Tronic Knight’s breastplate. The glass shattered, and Aklys came flying out the other side, trailing circuitry from the Knight’s insides. With a final groan, the Knight disintegrated, letting Psi-Tronic Shield fall to the ground.

“Psi-Tronic Shield survived my Knight’s demise, thanks to its effect.” The mystery man said. “I end my turn, then.”

Yuma drew. “First, I’ll activate my Foolish Burial spell card.” He said. “This allows me to send one monster from my Deck straight to my Graveyard. Next,” he selected his second monster from his hand; “I summon Dragunity Legionnaire in attack mode! Thanks to his effect, I can pick one Dragunity monster from my Graveyard and equip it to him. I chose the monster I just sent—Dragunity Pilum!"

A solidly-built monster, clad in a white tunic with gold trim and blue belt with gold gauntlets, materialized on Yuma’s side of the field, followed by a small, green, armored dragon. This little dragon attached itself to Legionnaire’s arm. “And as long as my Pilum is equipped to my Legionnaire, he can attack you directly and deal half his attack as damage.” Yuma explained. “Dragunity Legionnaire, attack his Life Points directly!”

To Yuma’s surprise, the mystery man did nothing to prevent the attack from going through. He stepped back with a grunt as the attack hit home, but other than that there was no reaction.

**???: 3400**

Frowning, Yuma finished. “I set two face-downs and end my turn.”

“My turn, then.” The mystery man said, drawing. He smiled. “I activate a little number known as Astral Projection. It allows me to make a copy of one of my Psi-Tronics at the cost of negating their attack. Of course, attacking isn’t what I have in mind….”

**???: 2900**

Yuma gulped. “An Exceed Summon.” He said.

“Exactly, Yuma Tsukumo. And I think I’ll use my magic card to copy Psi-Tronic Shield.” Suit guy said as a ghostly version of his Shield separated from the original. “I overlay my Psi-Tronic Shield and its copy to open the Overlay Network. Arise, my servant! Psi-Tronic Berserker!”

Yuma heard Shark swear behind him. At the same time, he heard Zei let out a weird sound between a squeak and a hiss. Yuma himself was frozen to the spot as the mystery man’s monster rose from the hole in the field.

From the waist up it was humanoid. Well, _roughly_ humanoid at least. It had a human-shaped head and chest, but that’s where many of the similarities ended. It had four arms sprouting from its shoulders, each one with a lethal-looking, serrated blade at the end. The spine had spikes coming out of it, decreasing in size as they reached the bottom. There were odd sigils moving along the torso, which was half flesh, half metal and cybernetic implants. From the waist down it looked like a demented horse; rather than just four legs, there were six, and they alternated metal and flesh. The tail was metal, with a lethal-looking spiked ball at the end. The horse half was cybernetic on one side, flesh on the other, and all creepy-looking.

“Now, that I have my master monster on the field,” the mystery man said, tapping his chin. “I think I’ll have him attack your Dragunity Legionnaire. Psi-Tronic Berserker, destroy his last monster.”

The Berserker didn’t need any prompting. It let out an unearthly screech, and dove for Yuma’s monster. Yuma, on the other hand was prepared, and he activated one of his face-downs. “Relieve Monster! I can return my Legionnaire to my hand and special summon another monster in its place! I choose Mist Valley Falcon, and since your target’s not on the field anymore, your attack is negated.”

“Tut, tut,” suit guy said, shaking his finger. “That’s just the normal battle. My Berserker gains one additional attack for every monster I have on my field. I count two.”

The truth of the matter sunk in. “Oh, crap….” Yuma said, his face falling.

“‘Oh crap’ is not the term you should be using. More like ‘I surrender’.” The mystery man said. “But…I won’t even give you the chance of that. Psi-Tronic Berserker, attack his Mist Valley Falcon! Show him no mercy!”

The Berserker let loose with another screech, and again dove for Yuma’s monster. The only difference was this time he didn’t have a trap card to protect it, and his Falcon was destroyed.

**Yuma LP: 2500**

“And now, I think I’ll use up one of my Overlay Units to activate my monster’s _second_ effect.” The mystery man said.

“That thing’s got _another effect_?!” Yuma yelped.

“Of course, my young friend.” The mystery man said. “By consuming one of my Overlay Units, my monster can inflict Direct Damage equal to that of the monster I just destroyed. I believe your Mist Valley Falcon had an attack power of 2000 points, so that comes out to a rather large chunk out of your Life Points. Berserker, you know what to do.”

Yuma barely had time to register this fact as the mystery man’s monster really did _eat_ one of its Overlay Units, and then charged Yuma. Again, he decided that the Augmented Reality Field was getting a little _too_ real as he really did feel like he was getting trampled.

**Yuma LP: 500**

The corner of the mystery man’s mouth jerked upward in a small smile. “And I’m not done. I still have one more attack for my Berserker.” He said, pointing to Yuma. “Psi-Tronic Berserker, finish this duel.”

Yuma, barely on his knees as the Berserker charged again, activated his last trap. He was flung backwards as the Berserker’s attack hit, but he was grinning.

“I activate Double Dip!”

No sooner was the trap flipped did the mystery man’s monster’s attack connect. Yuma was sent sprawling once again, but this time he was grinning. On his back, he started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” The mystery man asked. “You lost.”

“No, we both did. It’s a draw.” Yuma picked himself back up off the ground. “My trap, Double Dip, has an effect of its own. I can activate it when your monster attacks me; in return for your attack, you get damage equal to twice the damage I took! That comes out to 5200 points of damage to your Life Points!”

The mystery man’s mouth gaped open, trying to think of something to say as a blast from Yuma’s last trap threw him right into a wall

**???: 0**

**Yuma: 0**

**-DRAW-**

The AR field dissolved. “You couldn’t win, so you decided to end it in a draw. Impressive. I can see why Astral chose you.”

Yuma paused in taking off his D-Gazer. “What do you know about Astral?”

The mystery man shrugged. “Nothing much. That I’ll tell you, that is.” He said. The edges of his figure began to blur, as if he were disappearing from reality. “Though, I will tell you one thing; my name.

“I am Damien. I look forward to fully defeating you in a duel, Tsukumo Yuma.”

And with that, the man—Damien—was gone.

“What…what was _that_ all about?” Zei said when he recovered his voice.

Shark glared at him. “If you have to ask, you don’t want to know.” He shot a glare back at Yuma before continuing. “ _Somebody_ here needs to fill in everyone.”

“I know, I know. I just want to know what he was after.” Yuma said, crouching down next to Kaito.

“…The Key….” The teenager in question groaned, coming around. Yuma backed up, only to end up on his rump. “They were after the Key, idiot.”

“Why?” Yuma asked.

Kaito pushed off Shark’s steadying hand. “Because,” he said, his icy gray-blue eyes fixing on Yuma, “they believe it’s the only way into the Astral World.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As with last time, I left the card list out of the Notes, but if you'd like to see one just leave something in the comments about it and I'll start adding card lists. 
> 
> As with last time, reviews desired but not required. They make us authors feel nice to read though X'D


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